Lebron James grabbed his 1st championship last night, beating the Oklahoma City Thunder in game 5 of the NBA Finals.
James good friend, John Calipari, also earned his 1st championship just a few months ago.
It seems like Lebron and Cal are on similar paths and also share many similarities:
[QUOTE][LEFT][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Georgia][B]Both are the best at what they do.[/B] Calipari is one of the top coaches in college basketball. LeBron just won the NBA Finals MVP trophy, to go along with his third NBA MVP trophy.
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Both made career decisions that people have despised.[/B] LeBron left[URL=”http://www.forbes.com/places/tn/cleveland/”]Cleveland[/URL] to create a “Big Three” in [URL=”http://www.forbes.com/places/fl/miami/”]Miami[/URL] with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh (Michael Jordan would have never done that!). He made his choice on national TV during “the Decision,” one of the biggest missteps for a public figure in recent memory. Calipari left two programs that were later discredited by the NCAA for infractions, though, as he is quick to point out, he was never found guilty of anything. And now at Kentucky, he quite openly recruits “one and done” players, guys who will only play at Kentucky for a year or two, at most.[/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Georgia]Both LeBron and Calipari made decisions are both well within the rules of their respective games. But they seemed to have broken some unwritten fan rules, ones having to do with loyalty and integrity.
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Both came very close to losing the championship albatross before their breakthroughs.[/B] The Heat win was LeBron’s third time in the NBA finals. Before this year’s championship, Calipari had taken two teams to the Final Four (UMass, Memphis), though both of those appearances have been stripped.
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Both are paid well[/B]. LeBron made [URL=”http://www.forbes.com/profile/lebron-james/”]$53 million last year[/URL], thanks to his salary and sponsorships from Nike, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola and State Farm. Calipari makes $5.2 million a year. They are both worth every dime.
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Both will always have haters.[/B] Cleveland will always hate LeBron. Those offended by “the Decision” will, too. College athletic purists will always believe Calipari is a cheater.
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Both chased their career dreams.[/B] With the exception of “the Decision,” it’s hard to argue that either of these men has done anything in their careers that anyone else wouldn’t do (and even “the Decision” wasn’t a total disaster: LeBron [URL=”http://www.cnbc.com/id/38154289/LeBron_The_Decision_Will_Generate_2_5_Million_For_Boys_Girls_Club”]raised $2.5 million[/URL] for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America). LeBron made decided to play for a better team instead of carrying a mediocre one. Calipari was offered the chance to coach one of the most hallowed programs in college sports.[/FONT][/COLOR][/LEFT]
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[URL=”http://www.forbes.com/sites/monteburke/2012/06/22/lebron-james-like-john-calipari-has-quieted-his-critics/”]Read Entire Article[/URL]
